If you have any photos of or interesting information about Giant Kingfishers you can post it here. Maybe you have made an interesting observation while watching Giant Kingfishers in one of the SANParks that you want to share with the rest of us; this is the place to do it.

Please try and keep generalized comments to the minimum and only post here if it is information we can learn from (if not we might have to move your comments elsewhere). It's always nice to post messages telling people how nice their photo looks like or how you appreciated the info but messages like this sometimes cause the real information to disappear into obscurity.

Now we are waiting for your photo contributions or additional information we can learn from.

The Giant Kingfisher (38-43 cm) is one of the world's two largest members of the family, with only the Laughing Kookaburra (a non-aquatic kingfisher of Australia) as a close competitor. It is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert with the exception of the arid southwest.Since kingfishers the size of crows aren't that common, it is unmistakeable with its long heavy bill, long crest, dark white-spotted back and rufous breast (male) or belly (female).The juvenile male has a black-speckled, chestnut breast; the juvenile female has a white breast.

Being one of the four truly aquatic kingfishers (the other three are Malachite Kingfisher, Half-collared Kingfisher, and Pied Kingfisher) represented in Southern and East Africa, it feeds exclusively on fish or other aquatic creatures like crabs and frogs. It hunts in the typical kingfisher way by diving from a perch, and rarely hovers.

There are two subspecies, M. m. maximus, found in open country, and M. m. giganteus in the rainforest. The forest race is darker, less spotted above, and more barred below than M. m. maximus, but the two forms intergrade along the forest edge zone.

This guy was sitting on the railing of the bridge at Lower Sabie December 30 & 31, 2006. He let us get incredibly close and did not seem bothered in the least. It was thrilling to see the detail of his feathers, and the markings on his beak like a well-worn tool.

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Wow guys we have some really great pictures here! I saw my first one in Dec in that picnic spot on the way to the Giriondo Border post. (Forgot the name) At first it was a huge shape in the trees and then I id'd it.

Other places I have seen them recently were at Sunset Dam, the ones from the LS low water bridge probably having a change of scenery, and looking left from the restaurant area at Letaba. We also usually see them at Matambeni hide near there, and in the Croc River from M*rl*th P*rk.

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I got this Giant kingfisher at the bridge at Lower Sabie. Once it closed his eyes by covering it with his nictitating membrane.If you have a close look at the third picture you can see the bridge, the river, the banks, the sun and the blue sky mirroring in its eye.

The whole story you can find in my Kruger story: "June 18th, Tenth day, Fighting in the dark . . . , Monday – Part 2".Just follow the below link.

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